Roos poach top Tiger

MAROOCHYDORE has "pinched" one of Noosa's favourite sons in a brazen move to establish the club as a powerhouse in south-east Queensland's division one.

Former Tigers coach Brett Maloney will today officially be revealed as the Roos senior club coach for the next two years.

The Maroochydore club hopes his experience and ability to nurture young talent will help the Roos improve on their eighth placing of the past season.

"We're ecstatic to have Brett join the Roos," president Craig Scrase said.

"He brings a vast knowledge of football and, in particular, a very detailed knowledge of the Pineapple Hotel Cup.

"He has a coaching philosophy that fits perfectly with the direction the club has taken over the last couple of years in terms of development."

Scrase expects the appointment to raise some eyebrows in Noosa, where Maloney has played an integral role over the past 15 years.

He was a member of the Tigers' premiership-winning teams of 1999 and 2006, club captain from 2001-2004 and the best and fairest in 2005.

Also the senior coach at Weyba Road from 2004-07, Maloney has been the club's under-18 mentor for the past two seasons following a stint at Aspley.

Scrase said: "We're very happy with Brett's coaching pedigree, but clearly it adds an extra element of spice to the traditional rivalry that we have with Noosa and we really look forward to the first clash that we have in 2013.

"Pinching him from Noosa was not the motivator but I believe he is largely responsible for setting the foundation for their current success, so we hope to see him do the same with Maroochydore."

It is Maloney's ability to mould promising young footballers into senior players that has particularly impressed Roos officials, who hope he can get the most out of an impressive crop of young players at Maroochydore.

The club's under-18 side won the south-east Queensland youth title this year.

"That's a huge reason for Brett being so enthusiastic to break ranks and come and join Maroochydore," Scrase said.

"He's coached against that talent for the past two years and he's obviously seen something that he likes and reckons he can work into a senior squad which will be very powerful in years to come."

Maloney was unavailable for comment yesterday because he was attending a funeral in Victoria.

He is taking over from Roger Delaney, who has laid a foundations at Maroochydore but retired to concentrate on running an advertising business.

DELANEY was coach only of the A-grade side.

Maloney's role is to be different.

Although his main focus will be the senior unit, he is also to keep an eye on the other grades.

"Roger had an influence throughout the club, but it was clear from our review process that we needed to go that next level and have a senior coach who can take the senior team into the Pineapple Hotel Cup, but at the same time have an influence right through the football group so everybody is on the same page and heading in the same direction," Scrase said before predicting a bold showing from his top-tier side.

"Come 2013 we believe we can be quite a participant long into the finals and we think we're showing signs of a maturing group of players which can become quite a power over a number of season, not just a flash in the pan."